Customer Reviews

The Psychology Major's Handbook

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Something nagging at me is preventing me from giving this book 5 stars. For one thing, it's purported to be a handbook for current psychology majors, but the first one or two chapters are directed towards evaluating reasons for selecting psychology as a major. If you're not sure or still shaky on your major being psychology, this may help; but for those who are positive and solid in their choice, it's not helpful. To me it states too many things that are obvious. It's definitely not worth nearly $30! "Getting In," the APA-written manual on getting into graduate school, was a little over $10 and was a much better buy than this book.

However the book is good, and it may help those wishy-washy major-changers settle on whether or not psychology is good for them. My advice: borrow it from someone who has it, or find it at the library, and then decide if it's a constant reference you'll need or one-time reading material.

I would recomend this book to every person who is a psychology major. This book has helped me to see all of the diverse areas I can explore during my career and how to best market myself for securing these positions. After having read the book, I can see more clearly all of the skills I have gained and how I can best market and utilize them all in the world. I have read and reread this book many times to consider how to best prepare myself right now and have gained new insight with each read. The book helped to give me more direction and was very clear and has great humor thoughout. I am now really excited about finishing my degree and trying all of the areas I have found that I have great interest in that I was not aware of before.

I wish I had this years ago! It has everything that a psych major needs to know including how to figure out whether to major in psych, how to do well in classes, how to write papers, what you can do with a degree in psychology, how to get a job, what you can do with a graduate degree and how to get into graduate school. Awesome advice

This book was much more unbiased, and covered areas in a better, edible way than *The Psychology Major: Career Options and Strategies for Success (4th Edition)*. Buy this one instead! This book did not have the biases in the other book. This book was very informative for me, and covers many areas that you would not expect. For example how to write assignments and your CV.
Very good! I bought both of these books, and was recommended to buy *The Psychology Major: Career Options and Strategies for Success (4th Edition)*, but i regret i bought that one.

Hi Dr. Kuther!

I just wanted to tell you THANK YOU! I checked The Psych Major's Handbook out from our library and I found it to be an indispensable resource! It's compelling, thorough, easy to read and CHOCK FULL of "can't-do-without" information.

I'm scheduled to graduate from University of Central Florida next fall and I'll be bound for grad school. I was panicking about grad school, the dreaded GRE, and finding a job before reading your book but now I feel a lot more confident. I will DEFINITELY buy the book. I just gotta have it!

Thank you again!

A One-of-these-ol'-days Psychologist,

Kerilynn Kelly-Moss
Titusville, Florida

The beginning of this book seems to be aimed at the high school senior or untrained college freshmen. It shares short, one-paragraph descriptions of some fields of psychology and then goes on to explain note taking and study tips. It discusses paper writing, research, and ways to read articles. While necessary knowledge, it does not seem to be a good fit with the later chapters on finding a job with a bachelor's in psychology and resume writing, which is more appropriate for a junior or senior wondering if graduate school is right for them. Finally, the book turns to graduate school information, GRE, and application hints. All very helpful to know about for someone who wants to continue on with their education, but none in enough depth to really gain a working understanding of any of the many points covered.

The author seems to have touched on everything, but dug into very little. It's not necessarily a bad approach, but I am unsure who the audience is supposed to be. Someone who needs to know how to take notes is probably not the same person who is going to have this book three years later when s/he is looking toward grad school. And if they were to want a book that could be all of those things, it would need to be in more depth.

My thought is that the author might be the perfect person for counseling and guidance for students who have questions about psychology. Maybe she's got so much information to share that it might work better in three, separate "handbooks".

As stated by other reviewers, the title implies that it is a handbook for psychology majors. Instead it is an excellent resource for the individual who is not sure of a major and may be considering the broad field of psychology. The author gives an overview of the various specialities in the field, including an estimate of salaries. There are personality and interest inventories to assist the reader in learning more about themselves and how they may "fit" in the work of psychology. Chapters 3 & 4 give advice which would benefit any student on how to maximize the opportunities on the university campus, including tips on studying, finding a mentor and gaining experience. There are two chapters related to writing. Then the reader is provided information regarding opportunities for different levels of training, including the Bachelor's degree. Finally, the application process to the different types of terminal degrees available are detailed in a unbiased fashion.

Probably a good reference in high school and college guidance offices or other places vocational choices are explored. The "undecided" majors on the college level should have opportunities to read this book.

I bought this text for a class I am taking called Psychology as a discipline and profession. I am a third year Psychology student, but this book is really designed for the freshman status. It begins by encouraging the read to start writing journal entries and the benefits of writing, such as how it helps us learn more about who we are. The book drones on about such obvious facts, especially to any 3rd year transfer student. Maybe the majority are clueless, this book was written for them.

I got this in way before my first assignment even though I ordered it late for the semester. I really thought I was going to fail my first assignment because I forgot to order it. You really saved me!

The book came in great shape and was delivered promptly and on time.